Car roof



Patented Sept. 9, 1924.

UNITED STATES 1,507,574 `PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES DAVID BONSALL, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO P. H. MURPHY COMPANY, OF NEW KIEDSSIIWGTON,`I PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA. K

can aoor.

Application ined Api-i1 as.' 1923. serial No. 635,234'. j

sheets extend from ridge to eaves of the carand are loosely secured to the car and to each other and arev movably held in position at the ridge by ridge seam covers or separate retaining members upon which the roofsheets rock or oscillate in accommodating themselves to the distortions ofy the car frame.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a simple and eilicient ridge seam construction that vwill secure oscillatory movement of the'sheets around the middle of their ridge ends without the use of separate pivot members and without affecting the weather-proofing qualities ofv the ridge seam construction. Another' o-bject is to prevent damage to the sheets during such movement. Other objects are Vcheapness of construction aindcompactness of design.

The invention consists principally in forming the seamr flanges of the ridge seam covers with-portions having tangential contact with the oppositesides of the ridge seam flanges of adjacent sheets, whereby .said sheets are adapted to rock or Oscillate about the contacting portions ofy the ridge seam covers in accommodating themselves to the distortions of the car frame and are revented from both relative andjoint bodiy movement transversely of the car. The invention further consists the parts and in the arrangements and combinations of partsl hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, which forms part of this specification4 and wherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur.. j p y Fig. 1 is a plan view of a portion of acar roof embodying my invention; l Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical cross-section through one of the transverse,seams on the line 2-2'in Fig; l;

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section through the eaves portion of the roof, the section being taken adjacent to a transverse seam on the line 3-3 in Fig. 1;

` Fig. 4: is a vertical cross-section through the lridge midway of a transverse seam on the line t in Fig. f1; j

Fig. 5 is a vertical cross-section through one ofl the ridge seam caps; and,

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a kportion of one of the ridge seam caps, a portion of the top wall of the ycap being shownbroken away to disclose the portions of the seam vflanges that function as pivots for the roof sheets to turn on.' .l l

Referring to the accompanyingdrawing,

-iny invention is shown applied to the ordinary type of car roof comprising side sheathing 7 and roof sheathing 8, which is supported at the eaveson side plates 9 at the ridge by means of ,aridge pole 10. Metal yroof sheets 11 are arranged'in pairs on opposite sides of the ridge.y Each pair of roof sheets is spaced Afrom adjacent pairs at their sides, and between the spaces lthus formed are arranged mullions or battens 1 2. The mullions extend transversely of the car from eaves to eaves of thecar and vare of less width than the space between ends of. the roof sheathing 8 and extend from end to end ofthe car, passing beneath the eaves ends ofthe mullions .12. The Lvertical flange of each' eaves flashing strip 13 is nailed or otherwise rigidly secured to the side of the car, and the portion of the strip resting in the rabbet'is doubled lback upon itself, as at 14. The eaves ends of the vroofsheets 11 are doubled under,las at 15, andfare hooked into the doubled back portion '14 of the eaves flashing strip 13.'

The side and ridge margins of the roof sheets 11 are flanged up and turned infand down forming downwardly and inwardly hooked upstanding side .and ridge seam flanges V16 and 17, respectively. The side adjacent to themullions 12 are covered by transverseseam caps 18 of substantially in'- verted channel-shaped cross-section. The transversel seam caps 18 straddlev the mulmarginal seam flanges 16 of the roof sheets l lions 12 .and the side marginal flanges 16 of adjacent sheets and have inwardly and 11 located on each side of the mullions and thus serve to loosely secure the eaves ends ot the root sheets to the car.

Ridge seam covers 21 of substantially invertedY channel-shaped section straddle the ridge seam flanges 1T ot each adjacent pair ot root sheets 11 andr have inwardly and upwardly curved lower side marginal poiu tions 22 that rest upon the body portions of the root sheets 11 between the transverse seam covers 18. The adjacent ends of the ridge seam covers 21 and the transverse seam covers 18 are held in position on the usual pan-shaped four-way center or corner caps 23 having openings in each of their four walls to receive the adjacent ends of said ridge and ltransverse seam caps. The corner caps 93 are secured to the substructure by means ot' bolts 24, which also secure the running board saddles (not shown) in position.

The curled` lower side marginal portions 22 oli' the ridge seam covers 18 are formed midway of their ends with extensions or tabs in the form ol .raised rebent flanges that are bent upwardly and are thence curved outwardly and downwardly to form hollow ribs 25 of substantiallyk inverted U- shaped section which overlap and embrace the middle portions of the spaced ridge seam anges 1T of oppositely arranged sheets. The side walls of each rib 25 of a ridge seam cover 21 are bowed in opposite directions from each other (that is, from the middle towards each end), thus forining oppositely curved surfaces in the sides ot the grooves or channels formed by said hollow ribs, whereby the distance between the opposing side walls or' each downwardly opening groove is a minimum midway of the groove and increases gradually towards each end thereof. The width of the grooves inidwayoltheir length corresponds to the width ot the ridge seam flanges 17, whereby said grooves snugly embrace said flanges and thus maintain a proper spacing of the ridge ends of the roof sheets and prevent bodily movement of said sheets crosswise ot' the car.

By reason of the double convexity ot' the grooves inthe hollow ribs 25 of each ridge seam cover, each side of a groove has a line contact with the adjacent side ot the ridge Aflange or rib 1G of a roof sheet,` with the result that each root sheet has pivotal tangential contact with both walls of the groove in the hollow rib of a ridge seam cap, whereby said roof sheets are permitted to oscillate about the engaging or contacting portions of the hollow ribs ol' the ridge seam cover in response tothe weaving of the car frame.

The invention is `not restricted to the i forms and arrangements shown and deportions engaging the opposite sides of saidV raised portions for only a slight distance whereby sluing of the sheets is permitted and bodily movement thereof towards and away from each other is prevented.

2. A flexible car root' comprising roof sheets spaced apart along their adjacent margins and having hollow ribs extending lengthwise thereof, and a seam ycover straddling the ribs of adjacent sheets and vhaving tangential contact with both walls of each of said ribs.

,3. A flexible car roof comprising roof sheets lspaced apartalong their adjacent margins and having hollow ribs extending lengthwise thereof, and a seam cover straddling the ribs of adjacent sheets and having contact with both walls of each of said ribs along one line only. c i

4. A flexible car roof comprising roof sheets spaced apart along their` adjacent margins and having ribs extending lengthwise thereof, and a seam cover straddling the ribs ot yadjacent sheets and having contact with both walls of each of said ribs for a portion of their length only.

5. A flexible car roof comprising lroot sheets spaced apart along their adjacent rmargins anda seam cover spanning the margins of adjacent sheets, the adjacent margins of saidsheets Vbeing provided with `raised ribs and said seam cover being provided with groove portions whose side walls have tangential contact with said ribs respectively, thereby permitting sluing of the sheets and preventing bodily movement thereof towards and away from each other.

6. Al flexible car root comprising roof sheetsspaced apart yalong theirl adjacent margins and havingr ribs extending lengthwise thereof, and a seam cover secured to the car and straddling the ribs ofr adjacent sheets, said seam cover being provided with hollow ribs that straddle the ribs of adjacent sheets and engage both sides of said roof sheet ribs for a portion of their length only.

7. A flexible car roof comprising roof sheets spaced apart along their adjacent margins and having raised rebent `flanges extending lengthwise thereof, a seam cover straddling the flanges of adjacent sheets and having raised rebent flanges that cooperate with said roof sheet flanges, the side walls of said` seani cover flanges having tangential Contact with the side walls of said roof sheet flanges.

8. A seam cover for a car roof, said seam cover being of substantially inverted channel-shaped section and being provided with a plurality of hollow ribs that are wider at the ends than yat the middle.

9. Ay seam cover for a car roof, `said seam cover being" of substantially inverted channel-shaped section and having extensions at the lower edges of its side walls that are formed into hollow ribs .of greater` width at the ends than at the middle.

Signed at New Kensington, Pa., this 23 

